#scream at the person in charge in public confrontation

[singingcicadas]

idw Ratchet is someone who follows orders and respects authority. He might follow his conscience in spur-of-the-moment decisions that allows him the leeway/initiative to act on his own (e.g. setting up clinic on Dead End, breaking cover to save Verity and Hunter, going to look for Drift, voting against Rodimus in mtmte) but he's never openly defied the orders of an acting leader. Regardless if he doesn't agree with said order and thinks it's stupid. Or wrong.

Even when Ratchet thinks Rodimus' treatment of Drift is unfair, he never speaks up against Rodimus during the actual issue of the exile verdict. He only offers Drift silent support by helping him up on the way out, because Rodimus is the captain and you don't argue with the captain. Yes he thinks Rodimus is a crap captain and acts condesending towards him all the time but when it comes to rank and orders there's no ambiguity.

Voting against Rodimus in the crisis act is a legitimate expression of disapproval, made anonymously in private. He doesn't care about Rodimus knowing his vote, but in public it stays anonymous. He does tell Rodimus off about what he did to Drift, but again, he makes sure it's a private one-on-one appointment. He also doesn't make Rodimus formally revoke Drift's exile or sanction his search, he resigns his position as CMO and quietly leaves to look for Drift himself as a personal commitment.

Common stereotype of what Ratchet is not:

Medic ethics and commitment to patients comes first, factions be damned. I don't care if he's a Decepticon, he's my patient.

No he's not actually like that? When Megatron's in custody he's all lets dissect him awwwww why can't we dissect him why does mass murderers still get rights that's so stupid can't I just torture him a little?

Like he spent the whole war patching up Decepticon-inflicted wounds and witnessing Decepticon-inflicted deaths. He's not a saint. He has as much good reason to hate Megatron and his faction as any other Autobot.

In fact he was pretty eager to ask Optimus about what he's going to decide as Megatron's punishment after he heard about Optimus frying Megatron on the voltage harness.

Optimus has his heart on clemency. Ratchet's the one hoping for execution or something equally nasty. Even though their opinions doesn't line up, Ratchet's still 100% supportive of Optimus' decision.

He repairs Megatron only because of Bumblebee's orders, and makes his unwillingness known.

Later in mtmte Ratchet does save Megatron's life of his own volition and repairs him again, but that's after he's lived with Megatron on the same ship for six months (again something that he considers to be a colossally bad idea but is forced to live with because of orders) and got to know him as a person. Not because of bleeding heart syndrome.

Also Ratchet's not just a grouch all the time. He can be blunt but also knows when to be respectful as appropriate to the occasion. He reprimands Wheeljack for being disrespectful to Bumblebee because leaders should be treated like leaders.

The guy's been CMO since Nominus Prime, essentially the highest-ranking of his profession on the planet; you can't get to that type of position and hold it through consecutive leaders for millions of years without considerable interpersonal skills and knowledge of social protocol.

Prowl does have Ratchet on his little blacklist but the stuff on there really just refers to Ratchet saving Verity and Hunter back in Infilitration. I read it as more of a testament to Prowl's pettiness than Ratchet actually being a problem.

#Ratchet also doesn't stop Rodimus when he orders Chromedome to inject. even if Chromedome protests #Things ratchet might do if unhappy with someone's leadership: #arrange a private meeting to talk about his concerns like a normal adult #do what he can within what leeway he has without being openly rebellious #act first ask permission later #snark about it #grouch about it #complain about it #then go with it #Things Ratchet will NOT do: #scream at the person in charge in public confrontation #undermine the person in charge by participating in said public confrontation #make a scene #he doesn't do morality lectures either #what is up with that anyway #transformers #maccadam #idw transformers #mtmte #Ratchet #I'm pretty sure other ratchets are like this too? tfp. bayverse. cyberverse #don't know about tfa cant remember most of the stuff in that #wfc trilogy has a different background for his character so. but it's the only Ratchet with a 'I don't care about factions' attitude #idk where all the other stereotypes come from is everyone basing their interpretations on the synth-energon episode in tfp? #yeah he was yelling at Optimus a lot there but it was all about how Optimus should have used MORE violence #and also with the throwing wrentches. why does he throw wrenches?

[aerodaltonimperial]

As the far bitchier half of the Katy & Vamp duo, since Vamp already posted ever so nicely about curating your own social media experience, I'm going to echo that. But also say that I, for the most part, tend to run my Tumblr as a "prompts free-for-all, let's scream about people who make us happy, I like writing fic and sharing it with people because it makes them happy, let's be positive and choose joy" space, but I ain't even fucking playing with this shit right now. I am too old for this, and none of this is okay.

If you want to attempt to rationalize assaulting a coworker and escalating a verbal argument into a physical confrontation because of a comment made just because you personally like them on your TV, block me. Block me right the fuck now. I have been over this shit for months, and we are done. I work in HR and this would not only be an immediate firing, but I would probably encourage the person to press charges. NO ONE should have to worry about being attacked at their place of work, and I cannot believe we are even having discussions where this is being insinuated.

I'm sorry that things have come to this, but this is where we are. I will be posting about this, and it will probably be snarky, and if you don't want to see this, then you should just block and move on. I don't even think I've been quiet about how much I dislike Punk, though it's possible that you have missed it, but I've got Jack Perry's back until the end of time. And that's how it's gonna go. Public service announcement. Sorry it's bitchy, but I'm not actually a nice person.

[kissorkill15]

Schizophrenia: A Lorax Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: The Lorax finds out something interesting about The Onceler.

It was a beautiful day in Truffula Valley, and the Onceler was just getting his wagon ready. Why? Because he was going grocery shopping. He had his list, and off he was.

"Nice day, isn't it?"

The Onceler jumped when he heard that voice, he didn't know that this furry meatloaf was in his wagon. If he did, he would've thrown him out.

"What're you doing here?"

"I just noticed you were going into that human town again and I decided to go with you this time."

The Onceler felt his stomach drop. There's no way he was going to be seen in public with this little nuisance!

"You can't come with me!"

"Why not?"

"Because you just can't!"

"What? Afraid I'll embarrass you?"

"Yes!"

The Lorax just rolled his eyes and hopped to the front seat, not at all phased by the Onceler's outburst. "I promise I'll behave, beanpole.", he said. The Onceler rolled his eyes, not at all believing anything he said, but he reluctantly gave in.

"Fine, you can come. Just don't let anyone else see you."

The Lorax looked to the ground, "Oh that won't be a problem."

When the two got to the grocery store, the Onceler went straight to the dairy section and started looking for milk. Then he went to the meat section for turkey, bacon, steak, and chicken. Then he went to find eggs, strawberries, oranges, bananas, grapes, wine, juice, and of course, his personal favorite, marshmallows. When he was finished, he paid for his groceries, and took them back to his wagon. But when he went back, he noticed that the Lorax was missing.

"Melvin, where'd he go?"

The mule pointed his head to the store.

"You have got to be kidding me, I SPECIFICALLY SAID DON'T LET PEOPLE SEE YOU!"

The Onceler ran back into the store, and bumped into someone along the way.

"Excuse me, sir, but have you seen a small furry orange thing anywhere around here?"

The man just looked at him blankly, "No.", then he just left.

The Onceler ran all around the store, trying to find that annoying furry meatloaf, and asking so many people if they've seen him. Unfortunately, everyone he asked didn't know what he was talking about, and just looked at him like he was crazy.

"Excuse me, mister."

The Onceler turned around to see a little girl, not just any little girl, the same girl who broke his guitar once.

"What do you want?"

"Are you looking for something orange and furry?"

The Onceler's eyes lit up, "YES! YES I AM, WHERE IS HE?"

"He's by the book section."

The Onceler charged towards the book section, and finally found the Lorax, scrolling through children's books.

"Enjoying yourself, Moustache?"

"Very much."

"Well, I want to go home, and I don't want to have to explain to the animals why you're not there. So come on."

The Onceler picked the Lorax up by his waist, about to walk out of the store when someone caught up with him and put a hand on his waist.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because you're clutching your chest."

The Onceler was confused. "I'm not clutching my chest, I'm carrying something."

"No you're not, I don't see anything there."

The Onceler's face turned pale. Oh no, not again. Please not again, he thought. "So you don't see anything in my hand?"

"No, sir."

The Onceler put down the Lorax and told the person that he was just feeling a little under the weather.

After that, the Lorax felt a little worried for the tall fella. Maybe it was his fault the whole incident happened, he decided to confront him about it. He ran up to his house and climbed up the window, and he saw the Onceler was filling a glass of water and took out a small white can.

"Beanpole-"

The Onceler held up a finger, shushing the Lorax mid sentence. What the Lorax didn't expect next was for him to take a fork, and stab his own hand with it, unleashing a blood curling scream.

"Jeez, what'd you do that to yourself for?"

"Just making sure you're there."

The Lorax just looked at him, puzzled. "Kid, what're you talking about, of course I'm here. You can see me, can't you?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Kid, I'm right here, and what's with the white can?"

"They're called pills. It's a type of medicine, humans use it to keep themselves in shape."

The Lorax still didn't get it. "Why would you need something like that? You're already in shape."

The Onceler sighed, but he began explaining. "I have a condition called schizophrenia, it's something where you can see things that no one else can. I was diagnosed with it when I was 11. I was just giving Melvin a bath, and I thought I heard him talking, I heard him say how he likes it when I give him a bath, and I was speechless, and over the moon. I ran to my brothers and told them what happened, but when they went to see Melvin, they didn't know what I was talking about. They told my mom what happened, and we went to the doctor. The doctor diagnosed me with schizophrenia, and said that I needed to take pills to keep it under control. I've been taking these pills ever since."

The Lorax looked like he'd seen a ghost. He never knew that this kid had to go through stuff like this, people thinking he's gone mad when he can see things no one else can. It made him sad.

"I don't think your schizophrenia is the problem."

The Onceler stayed silent as he waited for the Lorax to explain.

"Long ago, I was an almighty among humans, back then when people could see me. They graced me with offerings, wrote me songs, and prayed to me as if I were a god. But back then, I didn't trust humans, I saw them all as selfish, entitled, lazy, worthless slugs. I made that very clear one day, and they stopped giving me offerings, and they stopped believing in me altogether, then they lost their ability to see me. Since then, it has been declared that only the ones who have a deep connection with nature shall be able to see the almighty Lorax.

The Lorax looked up to see the Onceler, his eyes welling up with tears, and it looked like he'd already swallowed his pill. Without warning, he pulled the little guy into a big hug.

"That must've been hard for you."

"Yes, it was. But I've gotten over it, so no need to worry."

The Lorax realized something.

He realized that even though the Onceler was irrationally optimistic, a little self-centered, cocky, and not so smart, he was still into nature. After all, he did grow up on a farm, and he was best friends with a mule, and had all of the animals in Truffula Valley wrapped around his finger, so it made some sense that he was able to see him.

#the lorax #the onceler #tw schizophrenia #lorax fanfic #my fics

[foreverdolly]

i am completely rotted over your upcoming Elvis works!

𝑪𝑹𝒀 𝑳𝑰𝑳 𝑺𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: “elvis is a straight up lil asshole in this fic. he's manipulative and babies the hell out of you on purpose as a means to demean and infantilize you.”

i know this story isn’t meant to be romantic but i’m so excited to see how you write this and how it plays out!

•••••••

𝑫𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬 | 𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲𝐝𝐨𝐦!𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐱 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: “you're elvis's pride and joy. graceland is nothing more than your oversized dollhouse. you run the show and the big man in charge wouldn't have it any other way.”

I AM COMPLETELY SCREAMING OVER THIS. describing Graceland as nothing more than an oversized dollhouse for little!reader’s enjoyment is amazing! this has literally been stuck in my head for days omg. i cannot wait for this!

••••••••

𝑴𝒀 𝑩𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 𝐩𝐭 𝟓 | 𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐱 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: “he can't stand even the thought of being away from you for a second. this man is writing letters home to you whilst using his own tears as invisible ink.”

excuse me?! this is so poetic and i’ve missed these two so much. i can’t wait for whiny!elvis!

STEPH! BABY DOLL! OH, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE IT WHEN YOU DO THIS!

i legit can’t wait to post these upcoming works. my elvis fics aren’t as popular as my austin ones, but i have so much fun writing them. my personal favorites out of the elvis wips are “cry lil sister” (i’m not afraid to admit that obsessive-possessive men make me feral. the more desperate he is to control her?? the better. this fic is toxic as hell but good god almighty is it hot. i mean- the way he babies her WHILST fucking her has me getting up to take breaks in between writing. “you’re nothin’ but a lil baby, aren’t ya? this is why you always need me to look after ya. i wouldn’t want anyone to try and take advantage of ya, honey. you’re just too naive. too sweet.”)

and then “aloha from hawaii”.

the enemies to lover dynamic is so fun to work with between the reader and elvis. the reader is incredibly witty and has a short temper, so her and elvis have a lot of playful (cough cough flirtatious) confrontations. one second he’s choking her in a public restroom, and the next he’s on a rampage because someone even looked at her wrong. he knows he should hate her for what she did to his cousin, but his cold, dead heart warms anytime he’s with her. drives him crazy.

#foreverdolly #current wips #my wips #interactions #stephthestallion #elvis fic

[hardynwa]

19-year-old man arrested for stabbing commercial sex worker to death in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended a 19-year-old man, Muhammad Ibrahim, for the alleged murder of a commercial sex worker in the Bauchi Local Government Area. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Ahmad Wakil, confirmed the arrest in a statement issued on Wednesday in Bauchi. The suspect, arrested on Monday, was accused of fatally stabbing Emmanuella Ande during an altercation. The unfortunate incident took place in a hotel room at Happiness Garden situated in Bayan Gari. According to SP Wakil, the argument escalated when the deceased demanded a payment of N5,000 for her services during a previous encounter, leading to a physical confrontation that resulted in her sustaining a serious injury leading to her death. He said the suspect also stabbed one other person, among those who came to rescue the deceased. “It led to a physical confrontation where the victim sustained a serious injury which resulted in her death. “The arrest was made following a distress call received from a good samaritan that on the same date, at about 6:45 p.m., the suspect entered a hotel room of Happiness Garden situated at Bayan Gari. “He subsequently stabbed his girlfriend, Emmanuella Ande, around her upper chest region and at that point, the victim screamed and the people around attempted to rescue her. “They forcefully opened the door, where the suspect additionally stabbed one, Zaharaddeen Adamu, on his left hand,” he said. Police officers managed to rescue the suspect from potential mob violence and promptly referred the victims to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi. Ande was pronounced dead by a medical doctor and her body was deposited at the morgue. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and the deceased had met on Facebook earlier in the year. It was also discovered that the suspect had debited N400,000 from his father’s bank account to spend time with his girlfriend. The police recovered a knife at the crime scene, and the suspect is expected to face charges in court upon the completion of the investigation. Read the full article

[quotes121sworld]

Bam Margera was summoned by the police and thrown out of the Hollywood hotel hours before his arrest #BamMargera

The embattled Bam Margera was thrown out of a Hollywood hotel room after police were called - just hours before his arrest for public intoxication on Wednesday.TMZ reports the Jackass star, 43, who has dealt with substance abuse problems and violent behavior in recent years had reportedly called police to his room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel just before noon after screams were reported coming from the bedroom.The caller was said to be concerned about possible domestic violence - police spoke to Margera and a woman who was in the room. The star was on the phone with his ex and "things got hot."It is understood neither party had any signs of injury and no one wanted to make a report - Margera and his girlfriend were asked to leave the hotel.DailyMail.com has reached out to Bam Margera's representatives for comment.

Out of control: The embattled Bam Margera was thrown out of a Hollywood hotel room after police were called – just hours before his arrest for public intoxication on Wednesday

Tough times: This comes after it was revealed that Margera's estranged wife is considering seeking a restraining order for their child after he was arrested.; The couple is seen in January 2013This comes after it was revealed that Margera's estranged wife is considering seeking a restraining order for their child following his arrest. The 43-year-old Jackass star's wife, Nikki Margera, is exploring whether she can seek legal protection against him following his recent stand-off with the law TMZ on Friday.A source told the publication that she hopes to file the legal motion to protect her and her five-year-old son, Phoenix.She told the site that Wednesday's incident was "scary for me and even more scary for Phoenix," adding that it was a shame because "the visit Bam had to Hollywood with Phoenix the day before went pretty well." “.Nikki claimed her famous husband arrived at the restaurant drunk and aggressive on Wednesday, as she explained: "This is the umpteenth time that Bam has taken one step forward and ten steps back."Her attorney, David Glass, told TMZ that they tried to work with Bam to set up regular visits for their child, but since that's dependent on him staying sober and treating Nikki with respect, it didn't quite happen.This comes after the former television personality — Who has dealt with substance abuse problems and violent behavior in recent years – got into an argument with a woman at the restaurant, law enforcement officials said TMZ.Police were reportedly called to a Thai restaurant around 3:45 p.m. and Margera was said to be in a row with the woman, which escalated after officers arrived.Despite police intervention, Margera reportedly couldn't control himself, so he was arrested and charged with the offense of public intoxication.In video of the confrontation, filmed by comedian Evan Breen, the former pro skateboarder was seen walking back in and out of the restaurant after police arrived. At the request of an officer, he sat down on the ground in the parking lot, and although his conversation with the officer could not be heard, he waved his arms and gestured wildly. The arrest may have been preceded by some sort of family drama, as Margera's estranged wife, Nikki Boyd, and their five-year-old child, Phoenix, were both at the restaurant, according to a local witness.However, police did not clarify whether he was fighting with his ex or whether it was another woman.

Family first: A source told the publication that she hopes to file the legal petition to protect her and her five-year-old son, Phoenix

Legal issues: Bam was arrested Wednesday at a Burbank restaurant after a confrontation with a woman, law enforcement officials told TMZ; Pictured 2019The sources added that Margera will be forced to pay $500 to get an early release on bail unless he chooses to remain behind bars until sobering up.The Jackass star's public controversy escalated earlier this month when he was arrested on domestic violence charges.The Viva La Bam star was arrested after police responded to a home in Escondido, California, where a woman claimed he kicked her TMZ.The alleged victim was not named, but she is reportedly Margera's current girlfriend and not his ex. He was released on $50,000 bail, although the local district attorney said no charges were being filed against him.After Margera quickly posted bail, Boyd's attorney claimed he hadn't supported her for two months, leaving her "without a car, without money" and at risk of eviction.

Family affair: Margera's estranged wife Nikki Boyd (pictured) and son Phoenix, five, were at the restaurant but it's not known if she was the woman he yelled at; seen in 2013

Deeper in trouble: The Donkey star was arrested on domestic violence charges earlier this month for allegedly kicking a woman when it was his new girlfriend and not his ex

Over the top: Last week he revealed he had his son's name tattooed on his face in Arabic to remind Boyd that "she breaks my heart by not letting me see him".She filed for divorce from Margera in February this year after claiming he wasn't sober while visiting his son.She has filed for legal and physical custody of Pheonix, although she says Margera should continue to have supervised visits with his son in the Los Angeles area.The Jackass star tried to show his commitment to Phoenix last week by taking the extreme step of tattooing his son's name on his face in Arabic."I miss Phoenix the wolf so much I had to get his name tattooed on my frigging face to remind Nikki that she breaks my heart by not letting me see him," he claimed on Instagram. Read the full article

[howto-ifyou]

How To Scream At Ducks and Other Water Birds In A Public Park:

(Written by an expert in the art of screaming at waterfowl)

Picture this, you’re in a public park by a lake. All is peaceful until you hear what sounds almost like mocking laughter from the ducks and geese near the water. Doesn’t that make you wanna scream at them? Maybe chase them around a bit? If so, this is the article for you!

Step One: Look a random water bird in the eye. Make sure to give it a confrontational stare so it knows you mean business.

Step Two: Try yelling obscenities at the birds. The more creative the better. If at least one child in that park doesn’t immediately ask their parents what something you said meant, then you’re failing as a public menace.

Step Three: Charge the birds. Run at them full speed, ideally while cursing them in a loud voice. This will scare the birds away. You can even chase a large group around the park if you’ve got the balls for it.

Step Four: Try flapping your arms if the birds aren’t intimidated yet. This will make you look like a bigger, scarier version of them.

Step Five: Remember that the geese in the park are free and nobody can stop you from taking them home. If you can capture a goose, then feel free to keep it as a pet. Please research everything involved with caring for a goose and remember that not all geese lay golden eggs.

Step Six: Make sure that the birds know you. Chase them frequently and curse at them when necessary. It’s a sign of dominance in the world of ducks and geese. By frequently chasing and screaming at the geese, you’ll earn their respect as the much larger, alpha bird that rules them.

Do’s and Don’t’s of Mildly Tormenting Wet Birds:

Do: Yell loudly with passion. Open your subconscious mind and let the right words fall from your mouth as you scream at the birds.

Don’t: Attempt to perform the natural mating rituals of the birds. This will confuse the poor ducks and/or geese and may make some of them fall in love with you. Don’t ruin the concept of love for a duck.

Do: Wave at everyone you see in the park, especially if they’ve seen/heard your encounter with the ducks. This will assure them that you’re actually quite nice and not one of the local weirdos. It may be extra helpful to give a big smile to them without breaking eye contact for approximately 5 seconds. Making your eyes wide will keep them open and show others your dedication to maintaining eye contact, something that makes interactions far more personal.

Don’t: Admit to screaming at the wildlife. Act as if nothing happened. It will make others question their memory of the event and eventually convince themselves that it didn’t happen.

Do: Get away from the area as fast as possible. Especially if too many people have witnessed your odd behavior. You don’t have to explain anything to them, but park rangers may want to have a talk with you.

Don’t: Go swimming with the birds (even if they invite you). Ducks and geese are manipulative and will try to trick you into getting into the water with them. Once in the water, they can cluster around you and hold you underwater with the help of their peers, drowning you in the process.

Obligatory Disclaimer:

This is satire and should be treated as such. This blog doesn’t condone nor promote theft or animal abuse.

#how to #scream #at #ducks #and other #water bird #in public #park #satire #shitpost

[scripttorture]

Hello hello, I have a question about the tv show Columbo and the titular character. I'm so intrigued by how Lt. Columbo messes with the heads of murderers. He's done things like convince a chemist who offed his uncle that he's holding a box rigged with a pipe bomb. He deliberately induces paranoia in killers, and pushes them to the edge until they snap. Does that count as psychological torture? Bc I've had bouts of paranoia that nearly made me scream and I would Never survive his questioning.

I suggest not using the term ‘psychological torture’ because it uh… it’s got some baggage. It’s a term that’s usually used by torture apologists to dismiss and belittle the harm caused by certain torture techniques. Usually clean torture techniques, which are those that don’t leave lasting obvious scars. These are the majority of tortures today.

 I understand what you’re saying, and I understand most people don’t know this stuff. But uh… most of the time when someone says ‘psychological torture’ what they mean is ‘I don’t believe this is physically harmful.’ And most of the time it really is.

 There is not really such thing as ‘psychological torture’ as a separate category. There’s a whole host of ways people can be manipulated, coerced or abused without inflicting physical injury. These are wrong. But they do not necessarily fall under the legal definition of torture.

 I’ll talk about the legal definition first but I think that what you’re interested in isn’t exactly the question you’re asking. Because whether something meets the strict, legal definition of torture or not does not necessarily tell you whether it is harmful, wrong or illegal but covered under other laws.

 You can find the legal definition of torture here.

 Briefly: the UN Declaration against Torture defines it as: ‘any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted by or at the instigation of a public official on a person for such purposes a obtaining from him or a third person information or confession, punishing him for an act he has committed, or intimidating him or other persons.’

 I know this is a little dense but what it basically means is that for an act to be torture it must:

Be done by a government official, group that controls territory or someone that represents them.

Painful

Done knowing it would inflict pain

Done for one of the four defined motivations

 Attempting to force a confession is one of the defined motivations. However for the kind of act you describe to meet the definition a prosecutor would need to prove that it causes pain and that the person doing it knew that in advance.

 Triggering someone’s paranoia is not necessarily torture because it can be done without knowing the person is paranoid or knowing the pain triggering paranoia causes. This does not make triggering someone’s paranoia OK. It does not reduce the pain it causes. But it can be done without understanding it will cause pain.

 So, no. I do not think that this would be defined as torture.

 However I think it could be entrapment. Pressuring someone into incriminating themselves is a crime in a lot of places.

 It’s also not… a very accurate way of trying to figure out whether someone actually committed a crime. As you point out, mental illness can effect things making people act in ways that are read as ‘guilty’, which is part of what leads to higher rates of charges.

 There’s also a pretty high rate of false confessions in scenarios like this, regardless of the mental health of the suspects. Coercion of this kind leads to an awful lot of false confessions. Which means that it’s both immoral and bad practice.

 There’s an awful lot of fictional tropes in crime fiction that don’t just depict bad practice but things that are straight up immoral. I watched some Columbo for the first time during the pandemic and while I enjoyed it, I agree that this… isn’t the way real law enforcement should behave. At least not if the aim is genuinely finding people responsible for crimes and holding them accountable.

 I don’t think the use of these tropes and conventions in fiction is always a problem. But people not understanding or recognising the reality, believing the fiction is reality, I think that can be a problem.

 Now obviously my focus is torture. The fictional tropes about torture specifically are often taken to be ‘real’ by readers/viewers because accurate information on torture is hard to find. And that has an effect on everything from reporting to policy.

 My impression is that the situation surrounding tropes in crime fiction more broadly isn’t quite as dire. There seems to be increasing understanding of how investigations are conducted both in fiction and in general public awareness.

 There is still a big stress on interrogation and dramatic confrontation in fiction. I think that’s because it’s easier to write in a way that’s tense and compelling.

 Don’t get me wrong, this sort of stuff does still happen in real life and it leads to a lot of false confessions and wrongful imprisonment.

 As for any stories you want to write- I think that if you want to show a detective as competent and good at their jobs, it’s probably better to show them actually investigating rather then browbeating or coercing people.

 In the scale of things I think Columbo handles this stuff better then a lot of other crime shows made at the same time. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always comfortable viewing, depending on your own limits and comfort zones. And it doesn’t mean that the show is perfect.

 I hope that helps :)

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#writing advice #tw torture #police officers #police and torture #forced confessions #entrapment #crime fiction #Columbo #legal definition of torture #mental health #mental illness in fiction

[sergeantsporks]

Do You Want the Knife You Left in My Back, or Can I Keep It?

Rating: Teen and up, Gen

An injured Hunter wanders into Hexside. What was Luz supposed to do, just let him bleed out on the floor?

Ch 5/6

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4

Ao3

Luz turned the cursed knife over and over in her hands. Viney had given it to her, joking about how her teachers were getting a little bit worried about why she had it. It was so small, but it had caused so much damage and pain.

“Hey, Luz, what do you have?” Eda asked, peering over her shoulder.

Luz felt the tiniest of grins creep over her face. “A KNIFE!” she yelled.

“NO!” King yelled back from the other room.

Eda plucked the knife out of her hands. “No weapons for you until you stop corrupting King with your human realm culture.” She squinted at the knife, peering at the runes on the hilt. “Oh, that’s a nasty one. Is this…”

“The one Kikimora used,” Luz said softly, “Yeah. I’m… not sure exactly what to do with it.”

“Give it to the golden nerd,” Eda joked, “Let him stab Kikimora back.”

Luz snatched the knife back. “Yeeeeaah, I don’t think that’s the greatest idea, Eda. Do you mind if I keep it with the other weapons?”

“Knock yourself out, kid.”

Luz set the knife carefully on top of a cabinet. What a nightmare. Who was even in the business of making weapons like that? She heard a groan from the other room, and she darted out into the living room. Hunter was awake, and had apparently just discovered that he couldn’t move.

“Hey! You’re up! And not fever-ish! How are you feeling?”

He buried his face in the couch again. “Ow.”

“Yeah, Viney said you’d be really sore. But hey, you’re not dying anymore, and you’re finally pretty conscious. So…” Luz pulled him up, shaking him. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!”

“Ow. Ow. Owowowowow, Luz! I can’t—”

“Move, I know, which is why we’re having this conversation now! Before you can wriggle out of it! Why would you leave the house?! Were you trying to run away? Kikimora was out there! You were barely even conscious when I left! She almost killed you!”

“I know. I knew she was out there, I knew she was setting up a trap, I just…”

“You just WHAT?! What could she have POSSIBLY said or done that made you stumble out of here, half-dead?!”

Hunter’s ears burned red, and he mumbled something she couldn’t quite hear.

“What?”

“She said she’d kill you,” he said louder, “She said she’d kill you, and I staggered out of here like a great big idiot in shining armor. I don’t know why I bothered.”

Luz’s mouth opened and shut a few times as she struggled to find words. She let Hunter’s shirt-front go, and he sank back onto the couch, wincing. “Oh,” she said finally, “Were you… going to trade yourself for me?”

He snorted. “Fat chance.”

“Hey!”

“What?! Trade my freedom for your life?! That’s the dumbest trap in the book, she’d just kill both of us! Who would fall for that?”

Luz felt her own face flush. “It’s not THAT stupid! Sometimes you don’t have much of a choice!” She flopped down to the floor. “What exactly was the plan, then?

“Easy,” he said simply, “I was going to rescue you.”

It was Luz’s turn to snort. “Wow, I never could have predicted that going wrong.”

His ears turned red again. “Hey! I can take Kikimora—I’ve done it before!”

“Yeah, when she was punch-drunk on sleeping nettles and you had a staff! Not when you were half-dead from being stabbed and feverish!”

“If you must know,” he sniffed, “I was planning on sneaking past her, not confronting her directly!”

“Awwww, well, I’m very flattered. Even if I was never actually captured. Thank you very much.”

He looked away. “Whatever. I just figured I probably should help. Since you saved my life and everything.”

Luz kicked the couch. “Admit it. You were worried about me.”

“No, I wasn’t. I was worried you’d annoy Kikimora to death.”

“You weeeeereeeee. You were totally worried. We’re friends now.”

“You’re not my friend. Shut up.”

“I am. I am worming my way into your heart.”

“Yeah, a bile leech can do that, too, you’re not special.”

“A what?! Ewwww, never mind, don’t tell me.” Luz kicked the couch again. “Whatever. Keep being a grump, I’m not giving up on you.”

Xxx

Hunter watched Luz race up the stairs. His palisman fluttered down onto his shoulder, chirruping reassuringly.

“Don’t you start,” Hunter grumbled, “I can’t be friends with her! She’s the enemy!”

Another low chirp.

“Yeah, I KNOW technically you’re the enemy, too, but you’re an EXCEPTION to wild magic being dangerous. She’s like. Public enemy number one.”

“Wild magic isn’t dangerous,” Eda commented as she came through. She stopped, looking down at him. “I… heard what you said. About wanting to save Luz. Kid, why didn’t you come to me? You could have died out there! You nearly did!”

Hunter felt his ears start to burn again. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I? I had a sister in the coven, and I saw how she turned out, so let me take a guess; you thought it was something you had to do on your own. You thought that if you accepted help, that made you weak. You thought that you’d made a horrible mess of everything, and you were scared that if you didn’t clean it up before the person in charge—me—found out, you’d be in trouble. Am I close?”

“No. I’m not scared of you.”

“Why you little—” Eda took a deep breath. “Shut up and listen, I’m trying to talk you through your trauma.”

“I don’t have any trauma.”

Eda found that incredibly hilarious for some reason, nearly bent double from laughing. “Oh… yeah, okay, kid. Sure. Alright, you’re not scared of me.” She looked him dead in the eye. “But are you scared of Belos?”

“No,” Hunter said automatically, “I’m loyal to Belos—there’s no reason to be scared of him.” Titan, he hated how his voice wavered. He wasn’t scared of Uncle Belos—he wasn’t. He just… didn’t want to disappoint him. As long as he did what he was asked, everything was fine.

Eda sighed, sitting down next to him and looking up at the ceiling. “Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say. Look. Kid. If. You ever feel like you’re not safe in the keep. Or. I don’t know. You just finally figure out that Belos is not a good guy. If you don’t want to stay there anymore. I—guess—hrk—okay—Hngh—I guuuuuuess I wouldn’t mind. Too much. If you… came here?”

“What?!” Hunter yelped

Eda jumped up. “What?! I didn’t say anything, did you say something? Whatever, bye!” She summoned her staff and flew out the door before he could respond.

The palisman still nestling on his head warbled at him reproachfully.

“What? I can’t stay here! And I’m not going to leave the palace! So it doesn’t matter if she’d let me stay here or not!” He tried to get up, but his muscles were too stiff, and he gave up, instead flopping backwards onto the couch cushions, his palisman forced to flutter off of his shoulder and land on his head instead. “Ow. I just… want to go back home. Where it’s not confusing. Where I know what people want me to do—where I know how they want me to act.”

Still.

It was nice that she’d offered.

Xxx

“Ow!”

Luz dabbed at the stitched-up cut with the disinfectant Viney had left behind. “Quit being such a baby! You want to get another raging fever?”

“It would probably hurt less!”

“Scream into the pillows,” Hooty advised, sticking his face right in Hunter’s, “It’ll help!”

Hunter let out a strangled yelp.

“Hooooty!” Luz protested.

Hooty flopped down in front of the couch. “Lulu was in the emperor’s coven, and we’re the beeeeeeest of friends. I think the emperor’s coven is actually full of people who just want friends!”

“Hunter,” Luz said, wrinkling her nose at him, “Doesn’t want to be friends.”

“He can be my friend!”

Hunter screamed into the couch cushions.

Luz poked him in the ribs. “Hey, that was just rude.”

“If I could move, I’d tie your bird-worm into a bow,” he growled.

“But you caaaaaaan’t,” Hooty sing-songed.

Luz pushed at Hooty’s face. “Alright, alright, get out of here, give him some space.” She finished cleaning the stab wound and taped a fresh bandage to it. Hunter didn’t react, not even to complain about the sting, and she knelt down next to him, nudging his shoulder. “Hey. You okay?”

“Everything is so… complicated here.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what anyone wants me to do!”

“Hunter, we don’t want you to do anything. I didn’t bring you here because I want something from you, I brought you here because it was the right thing to do.”

He groaned. “You don’t get it, of course you want something from me, everyone wants something from everyone, but I can’t figure out what it is you want me to do here! You keep saying I don’t have to do anything, and that this isn’t business, but—”

“Hunter. Hunter. Look at me. Look at my face.”

He turned his head with a wince, and she helped him sit up, squishing his cheeks between her hands and forcing him to look her in the eye. “I don’t want anything from you. Not one single thing. Neither does Eda, neither does Hooty. Got it?”

“But—”

Luz squished his face harder, cutting off his words. “No buts! Nothing! No ulterior motives! We are not Belos, we are not Kikimora. You don’t have to give us anything. I want to be your friend, Hunter, a real friend. Gus and Willow and Amity drop everything to help me, and they never expect me to do anything back. I’d do the same for them. And I’m trying to do the same for you.” She let go of his face. “Okay?”

He bit his lip, looking just about the most lost she’d ever seen him. “Mmmmmmmmmm…”

Luz sighed. “Right. Can’t change an entire life philosophy in a day, I guess. Okay, uhhhh...” she spotted King eyeing Hunter with narrowed eyes that she knew meant he was about to pounce. “…King wants to use your lap as a nap spot. You can’t really move around anyway, so…?”

Hunter almost immediately brightened. “I can do that.”

King almost immediately catapulted onto Hunter’s lap, curling up. “Ha. You tried to lock me in a cage. Now I am the ruler! I hold the power, here, and you are in a cage of my making!”

Hunter glanced down at demon in his lap. “He… doesn’t have worms, does he?”

“Hey! King is worm-free, thanks very much!” Luz leaned in closer. “But between you and me, you might want to watch out for fleas,” she murmured.

“That—that was a joke, right?”

Luz straightened up, running for the door. “Okay, have fun, you two, I’m off to school!”

“Luz! Tell me it was a joke!”

Ch 6

#toh #the owl house #toh hunter #luz noceda #toh fanfiction #my writing

[intheshadowofsignificance]

Season four is such a train wreck in so many ways. I understand the recurring theme that basically everyone lacks boundaries, but there are times the forceful disregard for them doesn’t have a point.

Just because June is the MC doesn’t mean she’s a sympathetic character. That’s one thing I appreciate them boldly addressing. Her tunnel vision is affecting more than just her and Moira is right that living in anger is clouding her judgment. June should be hellbent on justice. She should be angry. I just wish some part of her would be angry and reflective at the same time. She’s not immune from facing scrutiny for the suffering she caused just because she’s a victim and I hope we see her grapple with that. She’s been traumatized and broken. She admitted to wanting to make people hurt the way she hurt. “An eye for an eye is bad” the narrative screams. “We know,” I want to scream back.

June doesn’t have the right to force her coping mechanisms on other people. She has raped Luke. Used Luke. Blatantly disregarded Emily’s feelings and consent, whether or not it happened to “enlighten” her by the end. Emily was allowed to be privately angry and her private anger was valid without June dragging it out in public.

Gilead didn’t just screw with sex, it screwed with her views of consent across the board. I really want some kind of closure on this even if it’s not for the good. Show June facing this even if she stays a fucked up mess after. Don’t keep throwing these bold concepts in our face and not letting the characters do anything useful with them.

Luke’s character is frustrating, but realistically there’s not a whole lot to expect. Someone who hasn’t been through Gilead trying to understand what it was like is always going to fall short. He’s trying to connect the only way he knows how, and idealizing to get by. Just like June getting to Canada was one step forward, two back, so is Luke trying to navigate their relationship now. Ultimately if things fall apart between them it’s not because he’s a bad person who didn’t do enough. He wasn’t equipped for this. No one is. He’s still trying to cope with losing Hannah and the June he knew, and on top of that is caught in the crossfire of June’s trauma. The man is allowed to grieve his losses. He should confront June for making him a sex object, both for himself and to make her recognize and own it. That said, any mention of moving on was wrong at this stage. Not even remotely possible.

Also, Lydia holding Janine and crying? Why? That was ill-timed and poorly executed. We have always known about her soft spot for Janine, it doesn’t make her a good person but a more complex and layered villain. And as much as I absolutely love that, and love the show for letting villains be villains even if they’re not pure, unadulterated evil every waking second (though with Lydia it’s close) we should not have been focusing on /Lydia’s/ emotions while Janine is begging for the remnants of her life.

Yikes.jpg

Fred needs to go down brutally and publicly for what he’s done. Seeing him and Serena in a battle of manipulation continues to turn my stomach. When he stood in that courtroom and spewed his zealotry and nonsense I kept waiting for someone to shut him up. Please. He would’ve been charged with contempt so fast. Trial or not.

“Did you believe all that you said just now?”

“Of course I did.”

He believes it when it’s convenient and gets him what he wants. Religion is a crutch and a pedestal for him. It has been the same for Serena especially in this season. Even if her part in Gilead came from a brainwashed evangelical upbringing, she had plenty of clarity when she tortured June. She believed it was all divine until she was the one suffering. Then God’s sacrifice couldn’t be “her” baby. He couldn’t want “her” Nicole. And submit to one’s husband? Yeah, no, he’s just a sperm donor in Canada. Until she needs him. My goodness, these people and their thinly veiled “godliness.” June called that part so aptly.

I want to see them both face humane justice. As much as Serena being a handmaid would be cathartic, I’m not gonna advocate for it. Having the world know her for what she is, charging her with war crimes / convicting her in Canada, and putting her son in a loving foster home away from her is enough for me. Also maybe having her and Fred in (separate) mandated group meetings with Gilead’s victims as “therapy.” Because they deserve to feel powerless and understand the gravity of the world they helped build.

Of course I couldn’t stand seeing anyone praise the Waterfords, especially Fred, but my god the glimpse it gave of Serena in that moment was worth it. Despite her seeming to have some flash of understanding for June in the courtroom later, in that moment, under that recognition, she held her head so high. Like she was powerful. Like it was the first time in so long she felt worth something.

Holding the hand of a man who doesn’t even use her name anymore, but rather calls her by the extension of himself — Mrs. Waterford — listening to Fred feed the world so many lines of absolute bullshit, knowing he doesn’t believe a word, let alone practice a word.

She caused so much pain just to have something, and I hope all she gets are those small, meaningless moments of praise as her life circles the drain.

But ultimately the men of Gilead did this and they should face the worst of the consequences for it. I think when the defense started questioning June in the court room was when Serena realized, even in Canada, that would never happen. I’m sad the baby is clearly just a tool for Fred to use to manipulate Serena and the world around him, even losing access to their son won’t really hurt him. And Canada’s cushy joke of a prison sentence doesn’t seem to be doing much either. That’s what’s really pissing me off the most, Fred is still having the time of his life.

#the handmaids tale #the handmaid’s tale season 4 #june osborne #serena joy #serena waterford #fred waterford

[prorevenge]

Bridezilla Karen ends up looking like a pauper at her own wedding.

I (F48) have known “Pat” (F48) for decades. As far as I can remember, she was fixated on having 5 children and a picket fence dream life. I slowly cut ties with her in college because she was an opportunist and I didn’t trust her. She is both manipulative and forceful. Her idea of cute rubs me the wrong way. Pat likes to walk like a penguin when she wants to elicit pity, and she usually does this when she wants to evoke the underdog narrative. I’ve never seen someone act so despicable and ridiculous at the same time.

I moved on with my life. Happily got rid of her for years. Pat eventually found me on facebook. I accepted her friend request out of politeness.

Pat has become the epitome of a permissive mother. Her (5) kids do as they please and she never calls them out. She tried to force a relationship between me and her daughters and made them call me Auntie. Pat tried to drop them at my house uninvited. Her phone calls were insistent, she tried to monopolize my time and she began to show up at my job. I created some boundaries so she tried to find loopholes. It was a nightmare.

My husband and I hosted a party for the community center (not the real name) new members. The community center is actually a very informal initiative and my husband and I mainly serve the homeless population. We prefer to help strangers instead of catering to potentially narcissistic acquaintances. We don't mind lending a hand but we have encountered truly dishonest choosing beggars.

There are other services, like one of the members who helps women get their wedding and prom dresses for free.The community center location “headquarters” is actually a farm owned by an elderly couple. There is a barn, a venue and a very nice green field with an artificial lake and some fowl. They charge for the use of their facilities (weddings , etc.) but not for community oriented stuff.

Pat had always been salty at her husband for demanding that she go back to work after baby #3. In the meantime, he worked three jobs. She demanded he get her pregnant to fulfill her dream of having 5 kids. He didn’t agree, because he was already nearly 45 and felt like he might never be able to retire. She got away with bringing new babies into this world anyway. Her fascination with being pregnant comes from all the attention she gets. She had at least one miscarriage in between each kid.

Pat latched on to our group. She never missed any of our activities. I hated having her in my house, but it was an open invitation that included virtually everyone and she was very active as an event organizer. I didn’t like the way her kids behaved. We have a designated area for parties and entertainment, but her kids ended up inside my bedroom. We ended up having to keep watch of them and enjoyed zero of our own party.

I called her days later to get my point across (regarding their overall behavior) but she completely cut me off and began talking about herself and said her kids wanted to come visit again and use our pool. I never answered that. I didn't want to say “no, I will not have your brats over”.

She also called me as summer was approaching specifically to let me know her middle daughter was bored and wanted to spend a WEEK at our home. I politely declined, citing that me and my husband have to work and cannot entertain guests. .

Pat paid no heed. Her kid called me on the weekend,calling me “auntie” and attempted to coax me by saying “Mom says you invited me to spend SUMMER with you”. I quickly clarified, and offered an explanation to avoid hurting a kid’s self esteem. Nevermind. Her daughter just hung up on me.

Pat’s facebook also showed some red flags. Some cryptic rants here and there were visible, along with friends’ comments and complaints on how she asked a particular person to watch her kids only for a couple of hours and ended up leaving them all day. Another of her friends criticized her “girls night out “ because Pat had just asked them to be patient and wait until she could pay back some money that she owed them, yet she had money to spend on Friday night outings. I thought those very public comments on private matters were more like a cry of lost patience.

Unpleasant things began to happen. Like the time she volunteered to wrap the Xmas presents for underprivileged kids. We all wanted to create a mix of less costly gifts with really nice ones. Surprisingly, some nice and eye-catching toys and games went missing but turned up under her Christmas Tree (courtesy of her mother in law’s FB posts). No one could prove anything but it was hate-inducing. Or the time my daughter called me in tears to pick her up after she attended Pat’s daughter’s birthday (Casey). My daughter had been ignored all night because she didn’t gift her the expensive gaming stuff Casey practically demanded. My daughter did ask, but I said no. We would buy her a very nice and thoughtful present according to her taste. So when I went to pick her up my daughter was sitting alone in the living room while Casey and her friends stayed outside.

Stories about Pat and her family multiplied. The owners at the farm (community center) decided keep their their gates locked unless they had guests or events because Pat got in the habit of driving in whenever she pleased and it was either her kids screaming and disturbing on-going weddings, throwing rocks at the koi in the lake or harassing the geese in the yard. Or how she stiffed another soccer mom with the lunch bill and then pulled the struggling financially card. Or how other parents hated her because she created unnecessary hostile competition.

When my daughter turned 13, I allowed her to wear my grandma’s ring. It's not an expensive piece of jewelry, but it's vintage and girls nowadays wanna look boho. My Granny gave it to me when I became a teenager so I passed it on to my kid so she could wear it on her birthweek.

It was weird that she became quiet and distracted after that. She also didn’t want to go to school and my husband and I became suspicious. She never opened up, and my other kids had no clue.

We went to her school but her teachers assured us nothing had changed in her environment. My husband and I suspected she was being bullied but our kid gave us no tools to support her. My kid is very sunny, and very compassionate. She has never had any problems with other kids. I called her best friend’s mom. Natalie, my kid’s BFF, told us what was going on. Casey (Pat’s eldest) and my daughter had become “close”. I knew this and wasn’t too thrilled. I found the age (Casey was 17) gap not exactly inappropriate but I’d rather see my daughter spend time with friends in the same age range. Casey is very beautiful and a gifted student. She is also very conceited. To make this story short, she asked my daughter if she could try on the ring and refused to give it back. She later claimed that she lost it but “would look for it” so my daughter was distraught. My daughter kept asking for her ring and as a result, Casey shunned her and spread the word that my kid was trying to steal HER ring. Some kids at school took Casey’s side. So now Casey just wore my kid’s jewelry to school like nothing happened. If that doesn’t qualify as taunting I don't know what does.

My guilt comes from not being able to get my daughter to open up and feel safe telling me the truth. I talked to her and she burst into tears. I was both pained as a mother and furious that some teenage b!tch was doing this under our noses.

I went straight to Pat’s car after school. I asked to talk as Casey was about to go in. So I grabbed Casey’s hand and asked to see her jewelry. Casey froze and she tried to make a fist, so I became relentless. Casey yelled “Mom!” and Pat struggled to get out of the car. I slid the ring off (Casey has tiny hands and wore the ring on her index finger). First Pat yelled at me. After I confronted her with the engraving on the band (my grandma's maiden name), she argued it was loaned to her daughter by my kid. Then she said she bought it. I paid no heed. I did warn them that I knew Casey had become an abusive friend to my daughter.

Pat called me to tell me off. She said she was trying to raise an assertive young woman and I had just messed that up by being “overbearing”. She never apologized for her thief of a child.

Pat's husband ( Hank) is what can be described as a doormat. Pat wore him down to a knob. He had no choice but to “obey” her to keep the peace. She was a bully who actively withdrew affection when he didn’t follow her wishes, even in public. So she got kids #4 and #5 after a relentless campaign that included leaving him for two months. Her pregnancies were a nuisance because she expected to be treated like the only lady who has even been pregnant. She strolled around in a wheelchair almost immediately after getting pregnant and she would “get very sick” on weekends, so her kids were often sent to friends and family so that she could “rest”.

Pat systematically bullied Hank. She would leave town and take the kids with her. Poor Hank would look distraught, drinking on his porch or just looking really lonely. This is how she got off the hook and was able to leave her job. Hank had virtually no voice, so he struggled to keep the marriage together. Everyone liked him, but hated her equally. Hank loved to talk to other people but seemed concerned that Pat would be upset. Over time, according to my husband, Hank began to show signs of depression and mental distress.

Our friend, Lenah, runs the wedding/prom dress initiative. It's not complicated. Dresses are sourced from donations, ebay, trunk shows, etc. Unusually beautiful dresses are retained so that more than one bride gets to wear them. In some cases, a bride will pay 50 bucks, but most of the time, the dresses are donated to the bride.

Pat was involved in this. Lenah kept her in because they never had any issues and her task was limited to just shipping the dresses out.

Pat decided to renew her vows and her bridezilla Karenzilla attitude became the icing on the cake. For starters, she bullied another couple into giving up their wedding date at the farm because she “needed her renewal to match her exact wedding date”. They were not impressed with her harassment, so they booked another venue. As a result, the farm owners were pissed because Pat was already costing them money after she had successfully negotiated a cut in their rate “because she couldn't afford it but will repay by doing maintenance work around the venue” (she never made good on her word).

Pat became attached to a particular dress that was already assigned to another bride. Lenah made it clear that she would need to pay for her own dress. So Pat played it cool and shipped the wrong gown instead. She was adamant that it was the right dress, despite all the notes on Leah’s agenda. The other bride was truly gracious about it. She was obviously disappointed, but never made a scene.

What bothered me most is that I picked that dress and bought it for 40 bucks at a garage sale (not my money, Leah’s money). It was a vintage dress, ankle length, white with lots of lace and a huge bargain. Again, when confronted, Pat “did a Casey” and used the “this is mine” strategy. We felt so bad for the other bride that we did our best to get her something nice to wear. The other bride was a true fighter, she had pulled out of welfare, earned her high school diploma and was working to get on her feet by trying to earn a certificate as an acrylic nail technician. So, her reward was to have some Karen steal her dress? Pat never admitted to messing up, but just by the fact that she claimed it was her dress, we knew.

Lenah never allowed her in her warehouse again. Their last phone fight ended with Pat bringing up the other bride’s past (like it mattered) and “this conversation is over, it's my dress and you are mistaken”. That was weeks before the other bride’s wedding.

Pat went all out on her wedding decor. She spent way too much. She hired a caterer for some food (mainly mimosas and appetizers), but the wedding invitation included a request for specific dishes for her Sunday brunch wedding. Either she ran out of banquet money or was on a complete moocher mode.I picture the penguin walking upon practically asking everyone to supply her wedding reception grub and I cringe.

There is nothing wrong with potluck weddings. In fact, they can be a nice addition to a very cozy and family oriented wedding reception. But, don’t you need to at least be close to your guests in order to ask for such a thing? Even I got an invitation. I told everyone I wasn’t going because I was very uncomfortable being told what to bring and was probably expected to give them a cash gift on top of that. Some of the older ladies in our group agreed. Some said they would not decline in advance because she is a bully and they didn’t want a confrontation.

Lenah called me the night before Pat’s re-wedding. Lenah was there to close the Saturday night bingo and Pat was awfully friendly, but that’s what she does whenever things are going her way. Lenah peeked into the garment bag and saw the exact same dress while Pat was caught up supervising the wedding decoration.

The thing with Karens is that they expect everyone to suck it up, or make their dreams come true, or they simply underestimate everyone and think we are all fools.

Lenah is a very straightforward person with a “so sue me” attitude. She told me she would just ruin the dress. After all, it was hers, so she could do whatever she wanted. If Pat wanted to take legal action, and should things get ugly, she needed to prove ownership. However, the dress was the same, the marks inside the hem and the tags were the same. Even the tag numbers that were punched to identify each dress for logistics purposes matched.

Pat had the dress altered, with some extra beading and dyed to a deep cream color. But it was obviously the same garment. Lenah and I snuck in before the venue was closed for the night. All brides are allowed to stay in a small bedroom for a small charge, so that they don’t need to drive in on their wedding day. Honestly, the makeshift chapel was gorgeous, I don’t know how she paid for it but it was full of flowers and presumptuous details. I naively brought in some ink to spill on the dress, but Lenah said she wanted “something more awful, like a nasty surprise”. Ink would be too obvious and if she saw it ahead, she may be able to snag another gown from somewhere. No, the ideal thing was to have her trust the dress was fine. So Lenah locked herself in a bathroom stall and completely cut out the back panel. She patiently put it back on its hanger and zipped the bag. We left through the emergency door with the back of the dress stuffed inside Lenah's purse. I completely hate people who target and steal from anyone they (Pat and her kid) calculate to be in a weaker position.

The wedding was scheduled at 9 AM. Pat called me at 7 AM, but I ignored her calls. I picked up by 8 AM, both curious and wondering if she suspected anything. Pat was frantic.She was crying that her dress was “missing by half”. I purposely made her explain, being annoyingly dense and continually interrupting like she does, and stalling the conversation. She asked me if I could lend her my wedding dress. I said no, sorry. She then asked me if I would help her get a dress. I was satisfied to remind her that the town's bridal shops were closed on Sunday and the others that would open were almost an hour away. The farm is already almost one hour away from our town.

If Pat could get a shop to rent a dress, she would need to try the dress on, and get it steamed. Even if the dress was ready to wear, it would easily take more than two hours (roundtrip). She tried to ask me to go pick a dress (who would pay for this??). Even if a shop were open and brought her a dress, it would add to the cost. Also, these shops open at 10 or 9:30 at earliest. By time they got to her, it would be time to wrap up the wedding because she needed to clear the venue by 12:00 for the next event.

She broke down and mumbled some stupid stuff I didn't understand. So Pat hung up on me and called Lenah instead.. She asked Lenah to bring her “anything she had available”. Lenah and I ended up delivering the most outdated, moss smelling, oversized dressed. Pat’s disappointment was a mix between angry and emotional. She also tried to wear her knee length silk bridal slip as a wedding dress but it was too obvious and it really looked cheap. She tried to get her daughter to give her her own dress to wear with an open back zipper (due to fitting issues) but Casey refused, asking if she was supposed to attend the wedding naked (she got a point, plus Casey is petite).

The dress needed a petticoat to plump up the skirt, which wasn’t available. So it dragged all over the floor and Pat had to keep pulling it up. Pat walked down the aisle with one hand on her bouquet and another one grabbing her dress. The dress looked limp and weird with the arrangements of pins (they didn’t show) that caused the sleeves and neckline to pucker into messy rims. She spent the ceremony looking uncomfortable and out of place. Very few people attended but that was not part of any revenge, that was just how people reacted to her entitled attitude.

The dress looked awful. The reception portion of the wedding had all this princely decoration, a very nice cake and a bridezilla with a dress from hell. I didn’t stay, but I was told, she was so disappointed she spent her wedding sulking. There was no dance, no actual speech. She had to change into a shirt and leggings because the dress was too uncomfortable. Everyone talked about how Pat put on her flip flops and walked around aimlessly until she ordered the ushers to start folding up the chairs within one hour of the reception. So she practically kicked everyone out and the cake was never cut.

Pat wasn’t the same after this.She was not as loud and avoided everyone. I think she was disappointed that nobody ran to her rescue, not even her family who came from out of town.

Her husband finally cracked under all the pressure and sought some help. He was slaving away and coming home to clean the house while Pat used her kids as an excuse to spend like crazy. Hank also had to do kid homework because Pat never had time or never had patience. She also refused to get a partime job so her kids could attend an afterschool and get help with their school stuff. Therapy seemed to help Hank because the last time Pat left with her kids, he didn't seem distraught. He would be riding his bicycle and could be seen more relaxed while mowing his lawn. Hank told my husband that he had contemplated suicide after their third kid. When Pat returned, he maintained the routine but was interested in going out by himself and doing things for himself. We began to see Pat alone all the time. Hank was seen less and less in the same car and eventually moved in with his parents. He filed for divorce on the grounds of emotional cruelty and I don't think he won. Instead (I’m not sure of this because this is what I was told) there was some sort of a settlement or agreement that she would not get close or interact with him unless it has to do with the kids).

I also don’t know if Pat even actually suspected who/what happened to her dress. She slowly pulled away from the community center and became less active in social gatherings. Pat also removed me from her facebook as well as mostly everyone else from school and the center.

TLDR

Bridezilla stole a wedding dress from an underprivileged woman. The actual dress owner destroys her big day.

(source) story by (/u/forestcabin123k)

#prorevenge #by /u/forestcabin123k #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

[funkymbtifiction]

Thanks a lot for answering! I wonder could you please give examples of everyday deeds/types of behavior of different primaries and secondaries? Like what are they like when there's a school test or when they need to visit a doctor? The more the better. Something more down-to-earth than the situations from the fantasy movies listed on the website that may never take place in the real world, something found in everyday life that will help someone identify themselves and mb others around them

I’m not sure I can do that, because frankly, your Primary House is a state of mind. It’s what you want and how you feel about things (or do not feel, in the case of Ravenclaws, ahem). But I can talk about a few things, particularly in response to Harry Potter, that can shed light on the state of mind of the Primary.

What I have most noticed about people in general is that we all have a built-in bias, and in order to find our true type—whether that is our MBTI type, our Enneagram core and tritype, or our Hogwarts House combination—we must abandon our ego defenses. What does that mean? We have to overcome our biases and want to know our true self, and own it, more than we want to fight against an answer that might not please us. In the Enneagram, I’ve noticed particular biases against being a 2 or a 6. Everyone wants to be the more “glamorous” 4 or the elusive, bookworm 5.

Harry Potter, for better or worse, introduced us to the concept of Hogwarts Houses, but also introduced us to a bias, because it made Gryffindor the most glamorous House, due to all the main characters (however unrealistically) hailing from that House. Or, at least, all the main characters we like. Ravenclaw is full of wise weirdos like Luna Lovegood, who irrationally believes in things no one can prove. Slytherin is host to mostly back-stabbing, snobbish cheaters. And Hufflepuff is an “afterthought” where all “the boring, nice people are.”

What I like about Sorting Hat Chats is… they made the entire system more interesting and a lot fairer. Now, Slytherin isn’t the only House with villains automatically placed in it: their villains have to be specific in their love (and not betray their family, because it is the house of My Family is My Life). This also means people, fictional or real, who prioritize their loved ones, are Slytherins. Such as Mr. Darcy, or Katniss Everdeen. Suddenly, being a Slytherin doesn’t seem so bad, right? Not if you are loyal to the ones you love! That alone will appeal to the mindset of a Slytherin, because they will think, “Of COURSE I am. Of COURSE my loved ones come first! They SHOULD!”

I have friends in all four Primary Houses, but I will use myself as an example of the Ravenclaw. When I was reading the books, having all the main characters in Gryffindor bothered me, because not only did it show a bias, but I felt some of the main characters ‘belonged’ in other Houses—such as Remus Lupin being a Hufflepuff rather than a Gryffindor. I also felt like Hermione belonged in Ravenclaw. But that is neither here nor there… my objections to the system came from the logical flaws in how she arranged it. It wasn’t realistic to have everyone ‘important’ or ‘admirable’ within the story come from Gryffindor. It was easier to have them share Common Rooms, but people don’t isolate like that and only befriend someone from their House. They look for like-minded friends who share interests, and would make them all over the place. It was my little Ravenclaw brain, pulling away at her system and finding flaws in its logic, but reacting from a place of logical reasoning rather than moral indignation.

When I took the SHC test, it placed me in Slytherin. And I was not opposed to that. In fact, I explored it for a long time, as I thought about how I respond in various situations. Slytherin appealed to me, because… I wish I could stand up for my family automatically. I wish I could prioritize my loved ones all the time. But I kept hitting upon the fact that – I like to think about things in a detached manner, and come to what I feel is a rational consensus. It’s more clinical and less emotional than Slytherins are—and it helped at the time that I knew a Slytherin, and could easily see both how possessive she was of people (they are “mine to protect” – she always reminded me of Slytherin Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, with his “MY MR. FRODO”) and how, without fail, her sister came before even me, her best friend. Through comparison, I knew I had to be something else. So in typical Ravenclaw fashion, I went through and considered them all. Because, as a Ravenclaw, I want to be RIGHT more than protect my ego. I am always looking for the truth, even when it hurts. And I am always measuring the world against an ideal in my head, built up of my belief system. I do not go against my beliefs; I mold myself to them. And it shocks me to find others who do not, but who claim to be the same as I am. I take, for example, my Christian faith seriously—so what do you mean you are ignoring what your faith says, and doing whatever you want??? YOU MOLD TO YOUR BELIEFS, DON’T YOU? Well, yes, if you are a Ravenclaw, you do. If you are any other House, you do not.

The Hufflepuff Primary I know has a far more ‘felt’ opinion of the books and their sorting system. She got livid reading them, and thinking about how constantly unfair it all was, how biased Rowling was, and how Dumbledore was clearly playing favorites constantly with Gryffindor House. She developed a bad attitude about him as a result… which, of course, is coming from her being a Hufflepuff. To a Hufflepuff, people come first. They are all treated fairly and seen as equals. You do not discriminate, you do not alienate, you do not give unfair favors to Harry and his friends, just so Gryffindor can win the House Cup over and over again. She was actually so angry about this, from a Hufflepuff perspective, that she was willing to be a Slytherin in defiance of ‘The System’ until she realized that kind of mindset is… pure Hufflepuff. “You are not being fair about this, I will oppose you.” It’s all instinctual, it’s all emotional, and it’s all loyalty to the human race, which includes Slytherins. (This caused us some friction for awhile, until I realized it was “just a Hufflepuff” objection, because... how can you be mad at Dumbledore for that? It’s just a convenient plot device in the book! ... says the Ravenclaw who isn’t getting too emotionally involved. ;)

The Slytherin I know, by the way, denied being a Slytherin at first, because she felt ashamed of it. She has been taught to act like a Hufflepuff, that she SHOULD care about everyone all the time, but… she does not. She cares about her loved ones the most, and she would protect them above other people, every time. I pointed out to her that Hufflepuff fits her less than Slytherin, because “You ARE Katniss. You told me that once. That you identified so heavily with her, because you would go into the arena for your Prim.” And then she admitted it, and saw the gloriousness that is being a loyal Slytherin.

The Gryffindor I know is always looking for a Cause, and… as a Ravenclaw, I find that exhausting. She wants to be mad about things, because that anger gives her the fire she needs to do something about it. She has taken on big Causes by financially supporting the Causes she cares about, and done physical things about smaller Causes. For example, as a teenager, she came upon three guys tormenting a dog. It made her so livid, she charged straight at them, swearing and screaming at them to leave the animal alone, and it scared them all so much, they turned tail and ran. She just knew it was the right thing to do, and she and I often butt heads a lot, because she expects everyone else (meaning me) to be as passionate as she is about doing the ‘right thing.’ My more detached “well, let’s look at both sides of this issue” has no place in her black and white Gryffindor mind (no, that is WRONG).

Secondary Houses are… something that may take a little more time to figure out, as you think about how you handle the ‘unexpected.’

Gryffindors… have to speak up if they see an injustice, or hear something they disagree with. They are they person who cannot keep their mouth shut, they need to voice their opinion. They don’t care if you don’t like it or don’t agree, to not state their views would be antagonistic to their central self. My Hufflepuff friend is a Gryffindor Secondary. Not only did she get mad about the biases in Harry Potter, she complained loudly about it, to me, and to other people, and even in a blog post, because the injustice of it needed drawn-attention to, and dealt with, and she doesn’t really care if you disagree. That’s just how she rolls, about EVERYTHING. Because Gryffindor Secondaries state their views. They see an injustice, and they rush toward it. (My Gryffindor friend is also a Gryffindor Secondary: see dog being abused, rush in to do something about it!)

Ravenclaws… want to prepare for everything, and then rely on their own skill set to handle problems as they arise. They are the person who, when their bike breaks down halfway home, consider what they know about bikes (can they fix this easily?), and what they know about public transportation (am I going to be able to catch a bus home?), and make decisions from there. Or who study for a test in advance and show up, only to panic because they found out they read the wrong chapter in the book and know nothing about it. My father is a Gryffindor with a Ravenclaw Secondary, and he over-prepares himself with any useful knowledge he thinks he might need to combat a wide variety of situations—and then is stumped if confronted by something he did not prepare for, and knows nothing about. He is always trying to think ahead and prepare so that he doesn’t have to improvise anything at the last second—because he sucks at it.

It was a comparison with him that actually shifted me away from assuming I had a Ravenclaw Secondary, because… I don’t suck at improvising. I’m actually quite good at it. And I don’t over-prepare, because in true Hufflepuff Secondary position, I figure I can ask someone for help. And they always give it to me. But what really cemented the deal for me, in terms of recognizing my Puff Secondary House, were two—no, make that three, truths from my life. 1) Ravenpuffs distill complex information and put it back out into the world for others to enjoy (hello, Funky!). 2) Puff Secondaries show up and do the tireless work, clock the hours, and are highly reliable, which is… me. I have run this site day in and day out for years. I am punctual, fastidious, I put my responsibilities ahead of all else (even turning down fun occasions because I need to work), and I will painstakingly work on perfecting something, finishing something, improving something, or polishing something (even when I’m bored). In short, I show up and do the work. And 3) the truth that Puff Secondaries have friends to stand up for them, because they have proven themselves reliable and trustworthy, is no joke. A few years ago, I had trouble with someone online and, without being asked, three of our mutual friends came to my defense. Proof of the Puff.

Lastly, Slytherin Secondaries are highly adaptable. It’s no problem for them to shift their approach given the needs of the situation. It’s the equivalent of a friend you admire, but who puzzles you (if you don’t share their Slytherin Secondary trait) because… it seems like they are a different person everywhere you go, because whatever is needed, they can become it. They are the person who has no trouble with change and no need to plan, because they just trust that it’s all going to work out fine, based on their ability to adapt. It’s the person who shows up at a friend’s birthday party expecting it to be formal, finds out it’s casual, sneaks into the bathroom to rearrange their attire, and emerges ready to play Twister. Or who will be serious with you, joke constantly with your brother, and behave like a saint around your mom, according to whatever works and appeals to you the best.

Hope some of that helps, though it wasn’t explicitly what you asked for. Best this ENFP can do, since in-depth sensory specific examples require a heck of a lot more Si than I’ve got. :P

#question #hogwarts houses #ravenclaw #gryffindor #slytherin #hufflepuff #submission

[random-mha-thoughts]

Culture Clash (Bakugou x Reader)

Pairing: Bakugou x Fem!Reader

Anon asked: "OH MY GOODNESS I FREAKING LOVE YOUR WRITING.💜🧡❤️💚 I have a request!! Would it be possible if you did a scenario with Bakugou x Female Reader where the Reader is a transfer student and comes from a country where is normal to kiss people in the cheek to say hello and kisses Bakugou but then she is told of the culture difference in Japan, then she is embarrassed but Bakugou is even more. HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!!"

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1,565

Tags:  @yuki-osaki @liviitehe @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog @bunnythepipsqueak

a/n: Thanks for the request anon dear! I hope I did it justice and it makes you feel good inside. 😊

Very quick and breezy Bakugou fluff.  Honestly, my Bakugou list seems to be catching up to Todoroki (meanwhile poor Shinsou’s list is abysmal T.T But my next post will be an angst post for him, which is still a win), you guys just really love requesting for Boom Boom Boy, don’t you?

As I said on my last ask, after the Shinsou post, I’ll take a break before answering the next 2 requests I got, because I have a few of my own original ideas that I’d like to write, so look forward to them~

"You must be nervous to start school so far away from home," Yaoyorozu touches my hand gently.  "I do hope you find yourself at home here at our school and here in Japan."

"Oh, it shouldn't be a problem at all!" I beam at her.  "I'd say I'm a friendly person, I can talk to people easily."

Transferring schools in the middle of high school is daunting for most people, but I have no problem with it.  One of the admins from UA were attending a conference in my country and put a recommendation for me to transfer schools at the start of the second year.  Yaoyorozu, as second in charge in class, was assigned to be my buddy to ease me into the rest of the class.  We've been talking since I was overseas and I was overjoyed to meet her in person.

"Are you nervous about staying in the dorms?" she asks me.

"Not at all!  I've always wanted to try going to school and staying away from home.  Do you guys get along well together?"

"We all have our own friend groups, but we spent time with each other as a class a fair amount of time as well."  She eyes my suitcase rolling behind me.  "Did you already receive your uniform?"

"Yup, they sent it over!  The rest of my stuff for the year should be coming in another shipment from my parents."

Finally, the dorm building I will call home for the next two years looms in front of me and I can't keep the dumb smile off my face.  While Yaoyorozu's talking about my sleeping arrangements, a boy swagger towards us from the opposite direction wearing just a black tank top and dark joggers.  My eyes glance over his toned physique before studying his face, a slight scowl even at rest, crimson eyes staring at the ground in thought.

"Oh, (Y/n)-san," Yaoyorozu calls him out of his thoughts.  "This is Bakugou-san, one of our classmates."

The boy looks down at me and I smile, leaning up to place a kiss on both of his cheeks instinctively.  "Pleasure to meet you, Bakugou!"

His resting bitch face freezes and he stiffens.  "Y-Yeah, same.  See you in class."  With that, he walks off quicker than his former pace.

I cock an eyebrow.  "He seems like a tough guy, but quite strange.  Is he nice?" I turn back to face Yaoyorozu.

Her face has turned a rosy tint of pink.  "I-I wouldn't say that.  He's a bit rough at the edges, but he's gotten a lot better since last year, I admit."

She seems a little uncomfortable, did I do something?  I roll my luggage up the stairs.  "I can't wait to meet the rest of the class!"  The door opens with a flourish, and I meet the eyes of about half the class.  Some of the girls were reading magazines on the couch and the boys were playing cards or games at the table.

The blond boy with a black streak in his hair and a small, purple haired boy immediately stand up.  "Who're you?" they boy ask a little too eagarly.

I wave at the group, excitement bubbling in me at the site of my new classmates.  "Hi everyone!  I'm (Full Name), the transfer student!  Please take care of me!"

"Oh, yes, we heard you were arriving today," another boy walks up to me, adjusting his glasses and extending his hand to me rigidly.  "Welcome to Class 2-A!"

I shake his hand, leaning forward to greet him, "Nice to meet-"

"Um, (Y/n)-san," Yaoyorozu's hand pulls my shoulder slightly.  "I hope I'm not rude in asking, but is there a particular reason you do that?"

She still a bit perturbed since we met Bakugou outside.  "Do what?"  I don't think she means to be impolite, but I'm still confused.

The girl hesitates as if she can't bring herself to say it.  "Kiss people on the cheek.  Is it a custom of some sort?"

My body relaxes. I thought there was something terribly wrong.  "Oh, that's how we greet people in my country.  It's something I appreciate about my culture, it shows how friendly we are!"

"Yes, I see that."  She rubs her hands up her arms.  "It might seem to be a problem here though, I'm sorry to say."

I blink.  "I did it when I greeted you and there was no problem though?"  The fog of perplexity returns to me.  I know there are rules in other countries different to my own, but surely I haven't done something unforgivable?

"Yes, but," her eyes dart around and her face flushes more, "It's not exactly custom for members of the opposite sex to interact with each other like that even if they're friends, let alone if you've just met them.  That's more reserved for um...public displays of affection."

It suddenly dawns on me the weight of what I've just done, especially to Bakugou.  "Oh.  I...see."

"Your face is all red now, (Y/n)-chan, ribbit," one of the girls with long, dark green hair chirps from the couch.

The bright blond haired boy's eyebrows furrow in concentration.  "Hey, you guys didn't happen to run into Bakugou, did you?"

"We did," Yaoyorozu answers while I'm frozen in place, heat still blooming across my cheeks.

The two boys and another one with short, black hair and large elbows burst into uncontrollable laughter.  "We were wondering why his face was so red when he got back from practice!  You must've kissed him, right?"

Oh no, I did.  The panic continues spreading up my body.

"She totally did!" the black-haired boy guffaws and the other two follow suit.

"Bakugou was that flustered by a little cheek kiss!"

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS LAUGHING AT?!"

The first exposure to his screaming makes me jolt before I feel a debilitating mix of embarrassment and guilt, I don't even have the courage to look him in the eyes.  "Hey, you wanna lead me to my room?  I'll go unpack and settle in," I reach for Yaoyorozu, trying to compose myself back to normal.

"Of course, let's go up this way."

I'm grateful for her judgement of avoiding the chaos about to ensue.  The laughter from the boys and the teasing coupled with Bakugou's defensive screams still follow us while we're in the elevator.  What have I done.

.

On the first day of classes the next day, I try to avoid Bakugou as much as possible.  I know his angry, violent type well.  He dislikes me for embarrassing him in front of his friends and giving them fodder to make fun of him for.  If he decides to confront me, I know I'll crumble into a mess of apologies.

Which is exactly what happens when we both happen to see each other in the halls during lunch.  There's no avoiding him as we were the only two people there; I turn around and suddenly he's there, staring down at me with those piercing eyes.  I don't have it in me to fake my bubbly small talk and slip my way out, I have to own up to it.

"I'm sorry I made you embarrassed like that, it wasn't my intention, it was all out of instinct.  Please forgive me, don't be mad!"  The words fly out of my mouth and I scrunch my eyes shut for fear of what he might say next, steeling myself for his angry yells.

They never come, instead there's just an exhale in the form of a thoughtful "Hm."  I slowly wrench open my eyes, only to see him quirking an eyebrow down at me curiously.

"You don't need to be sorry about it, it's fine."  Evaluating my still-cautious figure, he leans back a little to relax.  "Yeah, I was taken off guard by the kiss, I admit, but my friends are also idiots, I can easily just bust them up a bit and they'll leave me alone."

I breathe a sigh of relief.  "I see."  The last thing I want is to be that cliched transfer student who gets bullied and becomes the outsider.

Bakugou swipes his tongue over his lip quickly.  "That was...pretty ballsy of you to do, actually.  I think it's cute.  It's a shame our cultures clash like that."

I'm taken off guard by his sudden change in aura, the cockiness that twitches the corner of his lip up compliments his rugged, boyish charm, especially with his unbuttoned and untucked uniform.  His eyes glance over me teasingly before he walks past me.  "Y-Yeah, it's a shame," I finally conjure up words to say, even if they're a lame response.

His body turns back halfway.  "In a way, I'm glad I was the only guy who you got to do it to," he smirks at me.

That kind of sign is interpreted the same way regardless of the culture, so I decide to return it, gathering up the same energy.  "I wouldn't mind doing it again, just for you since you're okay with it."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," he chuckles low before facing forward and leaving.  "See you in class."

I watch his receding back, leaning against the wall behind me to steady myself as the excitement grows weightlessly within me.  The smile on my face refuses to be brought down.  I guess there are some things that are just universal.

#Bakugou x reader #bakugou fluff #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bakugou katsuki #request #female reader #bakugou scenario #bakugou imagine #mha bakugou #bnha bakugou #mha x reader #bnha x reader #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfiction

[iamvegorott]

Have you heard of bingsepticeye? If so what are your opinions on him?

I have heard of him! Haven't done anything with him personally so I'm down to see what I think of him XD -------------------------------

Everyone calls him Bingsey and he's just as energetic and chaotic as Bing but is a lot more confrontational. He will speak his mind and no one can stop him. Filter is off.

Aggressive support, literally. Has shoved people together when they were 'taking too long' to get together. Will scream 'I love you!' to friends from across the room, public or not.

Is an android just like Bing and Google but often forgets that he is. Has thrown someone through a wall before for hitting on Yandere after she turned him down several times. Has forgotten to charge himself plenty of times.

Yandere is his best friend. They go shopping a lot together, trying out new things and new looks to see what they like. Bim's showed jealousy and Bingsey has told him not to worry because he's fully *flicks wrist*

#that one demon robbie #he's a bing of course he does memes XD

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 14, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

This morning, the team of Democratic senators working on a voting rights measure that could meet the demands of conservative Democratic West Virginia senator Joe Manchin released their bill. The 592-page document is described as a bill “to expand Americans’ access to the ballot box and reduce the influence of big money in politics, and for other purposes.” Led by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the senators have called their effort the “Freedom to Vote Act.”

This new measure is a pared-down version of the For the People Act passed by the House earlier this year before being blocked by Republicans in the Senate. It makes it easier to vote, allowing for automatic voter registration and mail-in voting. It protects the voting rights of minorities and establishes what forms of identification can be required for voter IDs. It makes Election Day a federal holiday and protects election workers from partisan pressure. The bill also tries to slow the flood of “dark money” from undisclosed sources into campaigns and bans partisan gerrymandering.

Senate Democrats could not pass the measure without significant changes to make it acceptable to Manchin, and he has worked to craft this new measure that he has argued—without public evidence—will attract Republican votes. His hope is to pass the bill with the ten Republican votes necessary to override a filibuster. If those votes are not forthcoming, he and the rest of the Democrats will have to confront the reality that they must preserve either the right of Americans to vote—the centerpiece of our democracy—or the filibuster.

After the bill was released, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promptly announced that Republicans would not support It. He says there’s no reason for the federal government to be “taking over how we conduct elections in this country.” This prompted Princeton historian Kevin Kruse to note that the Senate renewed the 1965 Voting Rights Act in 2006 by a vote of 98–0, and to suggest that Republicans have significantly revised their definition of federal overreach in the last 15 years.

The protection of voting rights seems more vital than ever today, as excerpts from a new book by veteran journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa revealed just how precarious the last days of the Trump presidency were. The portrait they reveal is of a man so desperate to retain his hold on the presidency that those around him thought he was mentally unhinged, while they also tried to do what he wanted so they wouldn’t upset him.

Trump tried hard to convince then–Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the electoral college votes from the states. Pence tried to oblige him, eventually turning to former Vice President Dan Quayle, who had served in the George H. W. Bush administration, to see if there was any way he could do what Trump asked. According to Woodward and Costa, Pence repeatedly asked Quayle if there was anything he could do. Quayle answered: “Mike, you have no flexibility on this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away.”

But Trump didn’t want to take no for an answer. When Pence refused, Trump allegedly told him: “I don’t want to be your friend anymore if you don’t do this.” He later told the vice president: “You’ve betrayed us. I made you. You were nothing.”

The account casts Pence’s role in the January 6 insurrection in a new light.

The book also says that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, was so worried that Trump’s mental state around the time of the election would lead him to attack China that twice Milley called his Chinese counterpart Li Zuocheng secretly to assure him that the U.S. would not launch a surprise attack. Milley was not the only one worried about the president: when Trump refused to concede the election, CIA Director Gina Haspel allegedly told Milley, “We are on the way to a right-wing coup. The whole thing is insanity. He is acting out like a six-year-old with a tantrum.” Haspel worried Trump might attack Iran.

Milley also allegedly told top military commanders that they should involve him if then-president Trump ordered a nuclear strike. That conversation was in part a reaction to a phone call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), two days after the assault on the Capitol, in which the Speaker demanded to know: “What precautions are available to prevent an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or from accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike?”

When Milley tried to reassure her, she continued: "What I'm saying to you is that if they couldn't even stop him from an assault on the Capitol, who even knows what else he may do? And is there anybody in charge at the White House who was doing anything but kissing his fat butt all over this?"

“He’s crazy. You know he’s crazy,” Pelosi said, according to a transcript of the call Woodward and Costa saw. “He’s crazy and what he did yesterday is further evidence of his craziness.” Milley replied to the House Speaker: “I agree with you on everything.”

The picture the book excerpts paint of Trump is of an unhinged man screaming obscenities at his advisers, unwilling to accept limits to his power. The book also highlights the role of Steve Bannon, who urged Trump to fight the January 6 counting of the ballots.

We also learned today that Trump’s own senior advisers were warning as early as February 2020 that the nation was dangerously unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic, even as Trump was publicly saying the administration’s response to the crisis had been “pretty amazing.” A House committee is discovering information about that response from messages retrieved from the personal email accounts the advisers used.  

The revelations about the former president, along with the efforts of administration and military leaders to either support or thwart him, highlight just how close the nation came to a disaster, and that the danger continues. But preventing that danger was never Milley’s responsibility alone. The Constitution provides two safeguards against an unstable leader who might, for example, launch a war simply to keep himself in power. One is the 25th Amendment, which provides an emergency mechanism for removing a dangerous president, but while there was talk of using that amendment to remove Trump after January 6, the amendment’s reliance on presidential appointees to trigger it meant that this particular president would not be threatened with removal in that way.

The other safeguard is the power of impeachment and removal from office upon conviction. Democrats did try to impeach and remove Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in early 2020 over the Ukraine scandal, only to have Senate Republicans stand firmly behind their president and vote to acquit.

The party’s association with Trump and his ilk did not help it in today’s recall election in California. As of 11:00 pm California time, voters rejected the recall of Democratic governor Gavin Newsom by more than 66%. In thanking his supporters, Newsom claimed his victory showed that voters said yes to science, vaccines, “ending this pandemic,” “people’s right to vote without fear,” a woman’s “fundamental constitutional right to decide for herself what she does with her body”; yes to diversity, inclusion, pluralism, economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice. Californians—and Americans, Newsom said—are making choices.

Newsom’s Republican challenger has already claimed his loss was due to voter fraud.

That claim highlights the crucial difference between voter fraud and election fraud. Republicans are using the claim of voter fraud—the idea of individual corrupt voters—to launch election fraud, the overturning of a free and fair election. While voter fraud is vanishingly rare, the voter suppression measures passed by Republican-dominated states mean that election fraud is looming and likely... unless Congress passes the Freedom to Vote Act.

--

Notes:

Kevin M. Kruse @KevinMKruseWhen the Voting Rights Act came up for renewal in 2006, the Senate passed it 98-0. Someone should ask McConnell: if that *massive* voting measure with significant federal oversight wasn’t an unconscionable “takeover” of the election process, why is this one? McConnell throws a bucket of cold water on the revised voting rights bill that Senate Democrats (including Manchin) released today, says there’s no reason for the federal government to be “taking over how we conduct elections in this country.” “We will not be supporting it.”

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur

1,116 Retweets4,161 Likes

September 15th 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/revised-democratic-voting-bill-drops-controversial-provisions-tweaks-others-as-pressure-for-action-mounts/2021/09/14/6c59def8-150a-11ec-9589-31ac3173c2e5_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/14/woodward-costa-pence-jan-6-committee/

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/did-milley-think-trump-would-go-berserk

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/14/peril-woodward-costa-trump-milley-china/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-book-trump-nuclear/index.html\

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/09/14/trump-advisers-pandemic-warning/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/14/all-this-keep-trump-getting-upset/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/14/us/newsom-governor-california-recall.html

​​https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/14/how-much-damage-will-joe-manchin-do-new-voting-rights-push-offers-clue/

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/pass-freedom-vote-act

https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/4/e448657f-914b-43a3-9153-05cabfb31c76/68440D88BF5EF1F90133FCB5AD2865D9.freedom-to-vote-act-text.pdf

Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 @cmclymerThis is an absolutely perfect response from Gov. Gavin Newson to the results in CA tonight. It could not have been written better.

540 Retweets2,626 Likes

September 15th 2021

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#political #January 6 2021 #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #history #voting rights #voter suppression #California Recall Election

[sanjuno]

how do you reckon things would change if Obito and Kakashi remembered their past lives as Izuna and Kanna? (And have you given a past incarnation of Rin in the Warring Era?)

… @deverickracoma you mean, like in canon? Huhhhh…

Well first off before Rin was Nohara Rin she was Senju Touka. Which makes this situation super fun because both Izuna and Kanna died before Hashirama strong armed Konoha into existence and Touka only went along with it because Her Stupid Little Cousins Need Some Common Sense. XP

In her lives as both as Touka and as Rin she holds the single (1) braincell for this Disaster Trio.

So Izuna dies via Tobirama’s sword. And then Kanna kinda… revenge rampages with Madara until the critical angst threshold is reached as Kanna just… explodes both theirself and the battlefield. 

There’s a whole lot of background stuff behind the suicide run such as Kanna’s Hatake side suffering from mate-loss depression and their Uchiha side suffering from Makengyou Madness and also Really Bad post-partum depression compounding it and yeah. Unfortunately Madara is just as wrecked from Izuna’s death so he can’t really support Kanna and it all goes to shit because we all know canon is a shitshow.

But anyway Touka is there to see Izuna die and she is well aware that Tobirama has just made a horrible decision driven by unacknowledged jealously and overzealous paranoia. Then Touka barely manages to save Tobirama’s pasty ass from the screaming revenge demon that she later learns was Izuna’s wife. And then Touka stands witness as Hashirama forces peace at sword point.

So Touka is just there like, “Oh for fucks sake we’re all going to die horribly.”

And, of course, Touka was right everything is horrible and everything hurts. 

Only now it’s plot-twist time and Touka, who was investigating certain questionable sources about the ongoing breakdown of social order in Konoha gets killed by Zetsu in order to cause even more tension against the Uchiha in Konoha and hey guess what? Yeah, that’s right Rin remembers the creepy plant-demon thing gloating about stealing Uchiha Madara (aka the only one vaguely strong enough to combat Kaguya at that time given he had naturally manifested the Rinnegan) for his own use before Zetsu killed her in a suspiciously ambiguous manner.

Shit.

Fuck.

Four year old Nohara Rin has a vendetta and the ability to kill a grown man. 

So obviously given that the Plant Demon is trying to kill off the Uchiha using shadowy assassinations and rumour mongering the Plant Demon is afraid of the Uchiha. Ergo the Uchiha are a threat to the Plant Demon otherwise it would confront the Uchiha more openly.

So.

Rin therefore needs to make super-duper ride-or-die best friends forever with at least one (1) Uchiha. And then, on the first day at the Academy, Rin runs into an absolute dork wearing Madara’s face.

Ah. Says Rin, channelling canon!Madara. That One. That’s The One I Need For My Plan To Succeed.

Cue the Rin and Obito Bonding Moment ™ that will repeat as a flashback every time their history is at any point mentioned in the narrative.

As for Obito, well… when he was Izuna he loved his Clan but then when he was reborn he read the Clan Histories from after his death and the public history of Konoha and Obito knows his Clan are a bunch of fucking traitors who stabbed his big brother in the back and that’s why Obito is both disgusted by the Uchiha and overprotective of the Clan’s reputation because Madara still loved their Clan even after they turned on him.

I may include Obito unearthing Madara’s private journals from a hidden cubby in the Naka Shrine that only Izuna would have known to look for. Just for the sake of an extra knife and also so that Obito can find proof of Zetsu’s sabotaging his brother’s mental health. 

Obito is more than a little weepy and sentimental over the fact that Madara honoured Izuna’s last request to the point Madara destroyed himself and his connection to the Clan. Obito can’t blame Madara for giving in when Hashirama forced peace to try and protect the few loyal Clan members who remained. Obito decides to protect Konoha and the Uchiha because he won’t let Madara’s last wish go unfulfilled but he’s going to become the fucking Hokage and tear out all the Senju-inflicted rot infecting his Big Brother’s Dream.

Obito is openly disdainful of the Clan Elders and the only people he even vaguely respects is the Head Family. Mostly because Mikoto is descended from Izuna’s daughter and even though Izayoi married “Tobirama’s student Kagami” she was still his baby girl and Mikoto is his great-grand daughter and he loves her because she’s his family.

Mikoto, Obito, and Shisui are all descendants of Kagami and Izayoi’s kids so they’re second-third cousins. Obito spends a lot of time pondering the overlap of self-care and I-love-my-grandbabies. It’s a fun little exercise in existentialism.

In the meantime Kakashi is still a little shit-disturber of the highest order. Kanna was taught all the fun Uchiha Clan Skills as Izuna’s wife and now Kakashi has learned all the fun Hatake Clan Skills from Sakumo and the little bastard is even more terrifying than canon. Kakashi is more gender-fluid than agender the way Kanna was though which is a fun new flavour of dysphoria-through-reincarnation that I’ll probably enjoy exploring.

Now, this does mean that Kakashi starts wearing his mask before Sakumo gets scapegoated which is a minor yet still significant change from Kakashi’s canon characterization-and-motivations.

So Kakashi blitzes their way through the Academy in like, 6 months because Kakashi has negative chill and an understandably paranoid focus on keeping their dad alive this time around. The only people Kakashi respects are the Military Police and their Dad everyone else can perish. Minato is A Constant Despair because he cannot control this sassy hell child Sakumo-sempai pls tell your son to l i s t e n t o m e.

Sakumo-sempai goes “LOL nope” because Sakumo is also a troll but is better at hiding it than Kakashi is.

So Rin and Obito are BFFs then Kakashi rips through their class like ground lightning and the sparring scene happens but the kickback of Uchiha-memories manifesting as body action means the spar is a familiar dance and so Obito is like “OMG K a n n a” and cue Obito stalking Kakashi like a schoolgirl with an obsessive crush and no concept of personal boundaries.

Enough shenanigans occur to 1. make Team Minato a cohesive and functional thing instead of a train wreck, and 2. keep Sakumo alive because Kakashi recognizes their Dad’s suicidal tendencies for what they are and so they set their ninken up as watchdogs to make sure Sakumo doesn’t do anything stupid. Because Kakashi’s biggest regret is leaving Madara and Izayoi to suffer grief without them and they refuse to let that sort of despair take away anyone they care about again.

So now Team Minato is bonding, and they are friends, and they are all slowly coming to the realization that they all remember their previous lives. So they start to share information and gradually piece together where Zetsu’s influence has been applied as they try to figure out what the Plant Demon’s endgame is.

Which means that Team Minato is 100% more paranoid about mission intelligence than they were in canon and also Rin more than ready to gut the Iwa-nin who tries to kidnap her during the Kannabi Bridge Mission so that’s fun. Team Minato has also made a point system for rooting out moles, spies, and traitors to hand over to T&I. 

Sarutobi had a lovely headache when the knowledge that Sakumo’s mission had been sabotaged “accidentally” got leaked. (Kakashi had given the old man more than enough time to fix the rumour mill so it’s on Sarutobi’s own head that he didn’t take action before Kakashi did.)

Also Team Chaos Gremlins Minato manages to charm Orochimaru over to their camp via one of Obito’s rage fuelled rants about dismantling the hypocritical indoctrination of the institutionalized status quo. Specifically, the fact that the Hokage is supposed to be a public service position voted on by the people who only really has complete executive power during war time. Instead of a unilateral dictator chosen by the previous Hokage’s undisguised bias and favouritism.

Also because they’re all proof of the reincarnation cycle existing. Orochimaru is living his best life especially when Team Minato trash talks the other two Sannin. 

Rin is the Most Offended by Tsunade fucking off and abandoning her responsibilities. Tsunade basically inherited all of Hashirama’s worst traits without any obvious redeeming qualities to balance it out. Because, let’s be honest, the only reason Hashirama got any level of respect is because he was Over Powered to the point of ridiculousness and because Tobirama plus Mito were in charge of his public image.

Kakashi and Obito are both hyper-loyal so having Jiraiya decide to just not come back during wartime and for Tsunade to abandon her responsibilities as a healer and Clan Head has destroyed any possible respect they might have had.

Obviously Orochimaru is the best Sannin so he’s the one they’re going to make friends with. Also they drag Orochimaru back to the Hatake Clan House to commiserate with Sakumo about being the target of a Village wide smear campaign. Which strengthens both Orochimaru and Sakumo’s spirits enough to resist their Bad Endings from canon.

All of this basically allows Team Minato to have the leverage to track down Zetsu’s creeper cave and they find Madara trapped and blinded and leashed to the Gedo Mezo, and Obito nearly has a world-destroying breakdown. Rin stands guard while Obito and Kakashi have a tearful reunion with Madara and there’s a lot of dramatic apologizing and sobbing.

They all know that they can’t leave Madara here with Zetsu, but detaching him means he’s going to die. Eventually Madara makes the decision himself to break the connection because he refuses to be used as a hostage against his little brother. So Madara tells Obito where his eyes are (which means that the Ame trio are going to get kidnapped by Team Minato eventually) plus a run-down of all the subversive plots Zetsu has had a hand in, and then Madara outright smashes the statue.

Normally nothing would be able to destroy the Gedo Mezo given that it’s basically the fossilized corpse of a god but Madara is currently part of it which means that the statue’s defences don’t realize Madara is a threat. So, statue goes boom, the cave starts to collapse, and Team Minato runs away with Madara’s body so they can give him a respectful burial.

Zetsu has approximately ten thousand aneurysms in the space of one (1) second.

From here the kickback really starts to pile up because Obito now makes a habit of dropping in on newborn Uchiha to check and see if Madara’s been reborn yet. Which means that Sasuke has a really invested older cousin hanging around to take Itachi’s place when Itachi make dumb decisions.

Rin is grumpy because basically every Clan who joined Konoha had a bunch of Senju marry into their Clan so finding Hashirama’s reincarnation is basically impossible. (And then, of course, Naruto is born and Rin faceplams 1000 times because of fucking course.)

Kakashi is laughing at both of them. Right up until they take command of Team 7 and notice a hated familiar chakra under the skin of a pink haired little girl. (All three members of Team Minato nearly die laughing because Tobirama is a pink haired little girly girl heeeeee~)

Anyway aside from all the family drama Team Minato also manages to dispose of Danzo and exposes his “plot against the Hokage”, boosting Sakumo’s public image to the point he gets named as the Fourth, fixing the stigma Orochimaru faced despite being the only loyal member of the Sannin, and basically terrorizing Konoha with Political Activism.

Zetsu probably goes a bit around the bend thanks the Team Minato destroying all his hopes and dreams plans. Also they keep putting the pressure on and exposing Zetsu’s schemes and eventually that gains enough momentum that the other Villages are taking a good hard look at shit that’s going down and hey wait w h a t t h e f u c k …

Obito eventually takes over as the Fifth Hokage and tears apart the corrupt government systems like a Tasmanian Devil going through a rotting carcass because Big Brother’s Dream Will Become A Reality B E L I E V E I T !

The End. XP

#Sanjuno talks back #the memory remains #Sanjuno metafic #reincarnation AUs